Fire-extinguisher for railway-car heaters and lights



( Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. F. GOWDERY. FIRE EXTINGUISHER FOR RAILWAY GAB HEATERS AND LIGHTS.

No. 496,682. PatentedMayZjlSQB.

2 s-heetsesheet 2.

(No Model.)

-J. F. COWDERY.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER-FOB; RAILWAY GAR HEATERS AND LIGHTS.

No. 496,682. Patented May 2, 1893.

III/.V/IIIIIII/I/II/I THE uomus PETERS co. wnoroumo wAsumarun, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JABEZ F. OOWDERY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FIRE-EX'TINGUISHER FO R RAILWAY-CAR HEATERS AND LIGHTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,682, dated May 2,1893.

Application filed July 5, 1892- Serial No. 439,040. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, JABEZ F. COWDERY, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Fire- Extinguishers for Railway-OarHeaters and Lights; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full,clear, and exact description of the same. 7

My invention relates to the class of devices for extinguishing the firein or from stoves, lamps, &c., and extinguishing the lights in railwaycars, for the purpose of preventing a confiagration when an accidentoccurs.

My invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement andcombination of the parts of the apparatus or device, which I shallhereinafter fully describe and specifically point out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and cfiective means forextinguishing the fire in or from a railway car heater or light, and toextinguish the lights of the gas burners the moment an accident takesplace, thus averting the serious confiagration which so often followscollision and other accidents; and also to make these means entirelyautomatic, and dependent upon the impact of the collision, or upon themovement of the car in being thrown from the track.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more full and completeexplanation of my invention,Figure 1 is a perspective view of myapparatus. Fig.2 is a view showing the location of parts in the car.vertical section of the adjustable cup P and weight 0.

A is a railway car. Suitably situated in this car is a stove B, whichmay represent any source of fire, and also suitably placed in anyposition on, in or under the car is the supply reservoir 0 which is tocontain the extinguishing material. In climates where the cold isintense and liquid is used, the reservoir should be placed in the car,but in other places it may be placed on or under the car. This materialmay be of any suitable character, liquid or gaseous, but preferably thelatter.

D is a pipe which connects with the reservoir. Its other end may extendinto the stove or to the vicinity thereof. This pipe may be located inany suitable position in the car,

Fig. 3 1s a- In this pipe, atany suitable point, isa cock d which inwarm weather, when the stove is not in use, is to be closed, thus vcutting off the reservoir from the stove.

Opening out from and communicating at each end with the pipeD is abranch pipeE on one side, and a similar branch pipe F on the other side.In pipe E is let a cock 6 to the valve stem of which is attached a leverH. One end of this lever carries a weight W which is adjustable thereonand can be fixed in any position to which it is moved by a set screw to.The other end of the lever is formed or provided with a cup h in whichis fitted the readily removable weight h. In the other branch pipe F islet a cock f with the valve stem of which is connected the lever I,carrying on one end the adjustable weight W with set screw w, and havingits other end formed or provided with a cup 1', in which is fitted thereadily removable weight 2'.

Passing into or under the car, in any suitable location, is a rod J, theinner end of which is suitably connected with the removable weight It,as by the short chain W. The outer end of this rod lies in or outsidethe end of the car, as preferred, and is preferably provided with across headj extending the width of the car end. A similar rod K passesinto the car from its other end and is connected at its inner end withtheremovable weightt" by means of the chain iiand the outer end of thisrod has the cross head 10/ These rods J and K are adapted to havealongitudinal movement, and they may be. mounted in any suitable manner.I have here shown them as incased freely in tubular housings or casingsL.

In pipe D is let a cock M, having a handle m. With this handle isconnected a chain N the other end of which is connected with-a weight 0set into a cup P supported by a normally horizontal arm Q secured topipe D. This weight and cup are both peculiarly constructed. The cup isprovided with a vertically movable bottom 19 adapted to be raised orlowered by means of a screw p passing through the bottom of the cup. TheWeight is a hollow casing containing a heavy material, such for exampleas shot 0. These are confined by a removable screw cap 0, which providesfor the insertion or removal of so much of the weight material as may bedesired.

The branch pipes E and F, with their connected parts, can be located inany suitable position on or under the car. I have here shown them asplaced under one of the seats R of the car and confined in a box S ofsufficient capacity to permit the free operation of the movable parts.

The operation of my extinguisher is as follows:When set for use the cockd in pipe D is opened. The cocks e and fin branch pipes E and F, and thecock M in pipeD are closed, and, therefore, communication between thereservoir and the stove is shut off. The cocks e and fare held normallyclosed by the superior weights h and '6 respectively. The cock M isclosed by being thus set. Now, should a collision or other accidentoccur by which either or both rods J or K are struck and forcedinwardly, the removable weight or weights will be withdrawn from theirlever cups h or t and the lever H or I will thereupon be tilted by itsweight W or W so as to open either or both cocks e and f, and therebyallow the extinguishing gas, or other material to pass to or near thestove, or to a point at or near the place where the stove stood beforethe collision, and extinguish its fire, or the fire resulting from thescattering of the fire in the stove, or from lamps or other lights.Should .no collision occur or no accident by which the rods J, K areoperated, but such an accident take place as to tilt the car, the weight0 will be thrown from its cup P and through the connecting chain N willopen cock M and allow the extinguishing gas to pass to the stove.

The object of the peculiar construction of weight 0 and cup P, it willnow be seen, is to so regulate the weight itself and so adjust itsposition in'the cup as to render its equilibrium more or less unstableto permit it to be thrown out with more or less ease, as the case maybe.

The preceding description relates to the extinguishing of fires in orfrom the stove or other lights. When arranged for the extinguishing ofthe lights of'gas burners, in order to prevent conflagration from thiscause, the same apparatus is employed. In such case the reservoir 0stands for any source of illuminating gas, and the pipe D will conveythis gas to the burners. The cocks e andf instead of being normallyclosed will be normally open, and the weighted levers will, uponcollision, close them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fire extinguisher for railway car heaters and lights, consisting ofa supply reservoir remote from the heater and lights, a pipe connectedwith said reservoir and extending to or near the source of fire, aturnable cock controlling said pipe, a weight connected with the axis ofsaid cock for operating it, and means comprising slidable rods operatedby end impact of the cars for tripping the weight, substantially asherein described.

2. A fire extinguisher for railway car heaters and lights, consisting.of a supply reservoir, a pipe connected with said reservoir andextending to or near the source of fire, a turnable cock controllingsaid pipe, a weighted lever connected with the axis of said cock andslidable rods operated by end impact of the ears for tripping said leverto operate the cock, substantially as herein described.

3. A fire extinguisher for railway car heaters and lights consisting ofa supply reservoir remote from the source of fire, a pipe connected withsaid reservoir and extending to or near the source of fire, a turnablecock controlling said pipe, a weighted lever mounted on the axis of thecock, an impact rod extending to the end of the car, and detachableconnections between said rod and the weighted lever whereby the latteris tripped to operate the cock, substantially as herein described.

4. A fire extinguisher for railway car heaters and lights, consisting ofa supply reservoir remote from the source of fire,'a pipe connected withsaid reservoir and extending to or near the source of fire, a turnablecock controlling said pipe, a weighted lever connected with the axis ofthe cock, aremovable weight carried by said lever to hold it in normalposition aholder for the weight, and an impact rod extending to the endof the car and connected with the removable weight, whereby the lever istripped to operate the cock, substantially as herein described.

5. In a tire extinguisher for railway car heaters and lights,the'combination of a pipe connected with a supply reservoir andextending to or near the source of fire, said pipe having a controllingcook, a lever c011- nected with said cock, and having a weight on oneend and a cup on the other, a removable weight fitted in said cup, andan impact rod connected with said removable weight, substantially asherein described.

6. A fire extinguisher for railway car heaters and lights, consisting ofa supply reservoir, the pipe D connected with said reservoir andextending to or near the source of fire, the branch pipes let into pipeD on each side and having the cocks, the weighted levers connected withsaid cocks, said levers having the cups at one end, the removableweights in said cups and the oppositely extending impact rods connectedto said removable weights and extending to the ends of the car,substantially as herein described. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JABEZ F. OOWDERY.

Witnesses:

ROBERT HARRISON, JOHN TONY YORK.

